Guilty plea mid trial

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One of two men who armed themselves with baseball bats and went into a suburban New Plymouth home to take what the Crown says was vigilante action has admitted to a charge of aggravated burglary.

This morning, on the third day of his trial in the New Plymouth District Court, Kyle John Yandle 39 pleaded guilty to the burglary charge and the Crown withdrew a second charge of assault with a weapon on December 22, 2011.

Yandle had been charged as a party to the offences.

The trial continues today with co-accused Jason Ralph Eldershaw, 39, currently giving evidence in his own defence.

Eldershaw has denied three counts, common assault of Trinity Wilson near the Tui Dairy, aggravated burglary and assault with a weapon (the baseball bat).

Eldershaw has told the jury today that he was the victim of the original assault not the perpetrator, that he was pulled into the car and driven at speed back to Wilson's home in Onslow Pl with his legs dangling outside the car.

Outside Trinity Wilson's home he got out of the passenger window and was assaulted by someone he did not see leaving him with a swollen eye and bleeding face.

He returned to his Mangorei Rd home with his partner and children and had a shower. He then followed Yandle, who had arrived unbidden at his home and left before him, back to the Wilson's house.

He said he was confused about what had taken place and wanted to talk to people face to face.

He had no intention of using the weapon which he had taken with him to protect himself and Yandle from the 10 people he believed were at the house.

Eldershaw says he mistakenly thought the people who assaulted him were from Hawera.

He acknowledged that on the way home, after he injured his hand on a broken window while fighting with Trinity Wilson's father, Dave Wilson, that he and Yandle hidden the two baseball bats.

The bats belonged to his 13-year-old son, he said. Eldershaw said the pair left the baseball bats in Te Mete Park because he had "f---- up" when he mistakenly hit Trinity Wilson on the head with the bat while on the deck of the Wilsons' house.